Jan Blachowicz expressed his dissatisfaction with the judges’ decision in his latest fight against Alex Pereira at UFC 291, where he lost a narrow split decision, stating in an Instagram post, “Bunch of thieves, they robbed me.”
Jan Blachowicz, former UFC light heavyweight champion, did not take his recent defeat lightly. After losing a close split decision to ex-UFC middleweight champion Alex Pereira in the co-main event of UFC 291 in Salt Lake City, Blachowicz criticized the judges of the match. The contest marked Pereira’s inaugural 205-pound MMA fight, and he won by a score declared by judges Derek Cleary and Ron McCarthy of 29-28. Junichiro Kamijo, however, was the dissenting judge who favored Blachowicz with a score of 29-28.
On Instagram, Blachowicz didn’t hold back, making his feelings about the fight’s outcome clear with a fiercely worded post. He accused the judges of theft, claiming, “Bunch of thieves, they robbed me.” Despite his disappointment, the fighter expressed gratitude for the support received, promising his return and adding the hashtag #LegendaryPolishPower.
The closely contested fight started with Blachowicz asserting his grappling expertise, grounding Pereira for most of the opening round. However, Pereira managed to keep the fight to his feet for a significant duration of the second round. This pattern was acknowledged in the official scores, where all three judges concurred that Blachowicz clinched Round 1 and Pereira won Round 2. The third round, however, triggered controversy as the fighters struggled to dominate for sustained periods. The last moments saw Blachowicz execute a rather uninspiring takedown as Pereira continued his stand-up approach.
Slipping behind Pereira in the contender ranks was a blow for Blachowicz, who formerly held the light heavyweight title. The loss was another setback for the fighter who had aimed to earn another title shot following his split draw with Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 282 in a fight for a vacant belt.